THE ARCHETYPES OF THE ‘PRAGUE SCHOOL’: RETURNING TO UKRAINIAN MYTH

Ukrainian literature in the period between the war for independence of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and World War II is characterized by frequent use and reinterpretation of the archetypes of Ukrainian mythology. The lyrics of ‘Prague School’ poets prominently display this phenomenon, rethinking these archetypes in terms of ontological concepts and values. The struggle for Ukraine’s independence and the desire to restore the lost statehood were closely associated with these authors. The Bolshevik-Ukrainian War and the defeat of the Ukrainian People’s Republic resulted in a crisis of ideals and a loss of reference points. The poets of the ‘Prague School’ aimed to return to original values and basic existential questions, rethink them, and recreate a model of a harmonious world. A comprehensive analysis of the archetypes of Ukrainian mythology and clarification of their role in ‘Prague School’ lyrics is essential for a cohesive interpretation of these texts and for understanding the worldview, context, and values that clearly resonate with the current situation. The study aims to systematically analyze the archetypes of Ukrainian mythology and to clarify their role in the literary worldview of the ‘Prague School’ poets. The author applies archetypal analysis to the lyrics of ‘Prague School’ authors, including Oles Babii, Maksym Hryva, Yurii Darahan, Ivan Irliavskyi, Yurii Lypa, Nataliia Livytska-Kholodna, Oksana Liaturynska, Halia Mazurenko, Yevhen Malaniuk, Leonid Mosendz, Iryna Narizhna, Oleh Olzhych, Oleksa Stefanovych, Olena Teliha, and Mykola Chyrskyi. Autobiographical and descriptive methods, as well as intertextual analysis, are also employed. The archetypes of the Great Mother, Fire, the Warrior (and Savior), and the World Tree form a figurative, axiological, and worldview model of the world. The paper specifies the functions of these archetypes and the roles they perform in the poetry of the ‘Prague School’.